Free Republic

June 20, 2002 A Scholar Recants on His 'Shakespeare' Discovery By WILLIAM S. NIEDERKORN n 1995 Donald Foster, a professor of English at Vassar College, made a startling case for Shakespeare's being the author of an obscure 578-line poem called "A Funeral Elegy." After a front-page article about his methods of computer analysis in The New York Times — and after his reputation was further burnished by unmasking Joe Klein as the author of "Primary Colors" — the poem was added to three major editions of Shakespeare's works. Now, in a stunning development that has set the world of Shakespeare...

Our former NR colleague, Joe Sobran, passed away today after a long battle with a variety of ailments. He was relatively young, just 64, and while physically beaten at the end, he also departed spiritually triumphant.   Surely, in short order, there will be ample reflection — much of it critical — on the hyper-talented, hyper-controversial writer. There will be a recounting of his history at NR, the break, the following years, and Joe’s soured relationship with WFB (happily, they rekindled their friendship before Bill passed away). Good, let’s discuss all that, and more. But later. Right now, let us,...

What's in a name? He whom we call The BardBy any other name would read as well. Writing in The New York Times last month, William Niederkorn gave a friendly nod to four recent books of Shakespearean scholarship. None of the four is likely to settle an argument that has been raging for the past 300 years: Did William Shakespeare really write the plays and poems attributed to him? If he didn't write them, who did? In case you have come late to this kerfuffle, the tempest rages about the sheer improbability of Will Shakspere's authorship. Considering the fame...